How to Fill Out an Ohio Car Title When Buying

To fill out an Ohio car title when buying a used vehicle from a private seller, the seller completes the assignment section on the back of the Certificate of Title and the buyer completes the application section directly below it, with both parties signing in front of a notary or a deputy clerk. The buyer then files the notarized title at any County Clerk of Courts title office within 30 days of the notary date, pays the title fee and sales tax, and walks out with a new title in their name.¹

One rule matters more than any other: do not write anything on the title assignment until you are in front of the notary or deputy clerk. The signing must be witnessed, and any erasure or alteration voids the assignment and forces the seller to apply for a replacement title before the sale can go through.²³ Use ink. Take your time. No white-out.

What to Have Ready Before You Meet

Both of you should show up with:

The original Ohio Certificate of Title. A photocopy will not work, and an electronic title has to be printed before the assignment can be signed.
Valid government-issued photo ID for the buyer and the seller.
The current odometer reading. Federal law requires an odometer disclosure for vehicles with a model year less than 20 years old if that model year is 2011 or later; for older model years, the previous 10-year exemption threshold still applies. When in doubt, record it.⁴
The agreed sale price. The number written on the title determines the sales tax you owe.
A lien release if the title shows one. The lender either releases it electronically through Ohio’s Electronic Lien and Title Program or marks the discharge on the paper title.⁵

A bill of sale is not part of the title, but bringing one protects both parties and some Clerk of Courts offices will ask for one if the price on the title is unclear. It should list the vehicle, VIN, price, date, and both signatures.

What the Seller Fills In

The back of the title has an “Assignment of Title” block. Working from the top of that block, the seller enters:

Printed name and current address. The name must match exactly how it appears on the front of the title.
The odometer reading as a whole number, with the appropriate box checked for actual mileage, exceeds mechanical limits, or not actual.²
The transfer date in MM/DD/YY format.
The purchase price written as a number with a dollar sign and decimal, for example $5,000.00. Do not write the price out in words.²
The seller’s signature, signed while the notary or deputy clerk is watching.

If two people are listed as owners on the front of the title, both must sign. If one co-owner can’t be there in person, they can authorize the other to sign for them by completing the Power of Attorney for Certificate of Title (form BMV 3771), which must itself be notarized. A general power of attorney is not accepted for this.⁶

What the Buyer Fills In

Directly below the seller’s assignment is the buyer’s application section. Same rule: fill it out in front of the notary or deputy clerk, not at home.

Your full legal name, spelled exactly as you want it to appear on the new title. If two people are buying together, both names go here.
Your full current address, including street, city, state, zip code, and county.²
Your odometer acknowledgment. You sign a line confirming you agree with the mileage the seller recorded, and that number carries over to your new title.
Lien information. If you’re financing, write the lender’s full name and address in the lien block. If you paid cash, write “None.”²
Your signature, made after the notary or clerk swears you in.

Notarization: Both Signatures

Ohio law requires the title application to be sworn before a notary public or another officer authorized to administer oaths, and in practice every signature on the title needs to be notarized. That means the seller and the buyer both sign in front of the same notary or deputy clerk.¹

The simplest option is for both parties to go to a Clerk of Courts title office together. Deputy clerks administer oaths and witness signatures as part of the transfer, so you avoid a separate notary charge. Otherwise, any Ohio notary can handle it. Notaries in Ohio can charge up to $5 per notarial act in person, or up to $30 for an online notarization.⁷

Filing the Title and Paying What’s Owed

Ohio titles are issued by County Clerk of Courts title offices, not by the BMV.⁶ You can file at any county’s title office in the state, but sales tax is based on the county where you live, not where you file.

Bring the notarized title, your photo ID, and a bill of sale if you have one. The clerk processes the transfer, collects fees and tax, and typically prints the new title on the spot. You have 30 days from the notary date to file. After that, a $5 late fee applies.⁸

What you’ll pay:

Title fee: $18 in most counties, $23 in counties where local officials have approved an additional charge. Your county’s exact fee is listed on the BMV website.⁹
Lien notation fee: an additional $18, or $23 in the same higher-fee counties, if a lien is being recorded.⁸
Sales tax on the purchase price. Ohio’s state rate is 5.75%, and counties and transit authorities can add up to 3% on top, for a combined maximum of 8.75%. On a $10,000 car in a county with a 7.5% combined rate, that’s $750.¹⁰¹¹
$5 late fee if you file past the 30-day window.

Problems That Can Stop the Transfer

A few situations will send you home without a new title if you don’t catch them beforehand.

Erasures or altered entries. Any correction, cross-out, or white-out on the assignment voids it. The seller then has to apply for a replacement title before you can start again.³

The seller doesn’t have the physical title. The sale can’t proceed without it. To get a duplicate, the seller can walk into any County Clerk of Courts title office with photo ID and the title fee, and the duplicate is printed on the spot. By mail, the seller sends a completed Application for Certificate of Title (form BMV 3774) with the “Duplicate Certificate of Title” box checked, the vehicle details, a notarized signature, the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the county Clerk of Courts.⁶

An old lien that was never released. If a lien shows on the current title or turns up in a VIN search, the seller needs a lien release letter from the lender before a clean transfer can happen.⁵

A missing co-owner. Both owners on the front of the title have to sign the assignment. The absent one signs remotely by completing a notarized BMV 3771 authorizing the other.⁶

After You Have the Title

The new title in your name is not a license to drive. Registration and plates are handled separately at the BMV, and Ohio requires you to carry minimum liability insurance of $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for injury or death of two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage before you take the vehicle on the road.¹² Line up coverage before you drive away from the title office.

1
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 4505.06 – Application for Certificate of Title
2
Franklin County Clerk of Courts. Ohio Certificate of Title – Mobile Guide
3
Ohio Public Safety. Ownership Assignment and Title Application for Casual Sale
4
Federal Register. Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
Ohio BMV. Lien Release and Title
6
Ohio BMV. How to Title
7
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 147.08 – Fees
8
Ohio Public Safety. Vehicle Title Fees by County
9
Ohio BMV. Documents and Fees
10
Ohio Department of Taxation. Sales and Use Tax
11
Ohio Department of Taxation. Sales Tax for Motor Vehicles, Watercraft, and Aircraft
12
Ohio BMV. Mandatory Insurance